Do cultural representations of anomalous phenomena obstruct serious study?

[Post deleted at Brian's request]

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/...rk1999.pdf

"Throughout, it is argued that most forms of cultural production featuring themes of alien abduction, being subject to marketplace demand, alter or fictionalize their source content for dramatic purposes. This popularization and commodification of anomalous phenomena negatively impacts serious study by encouraging dismissive attitudes towards evidence, reports, and those individuals involved, informants, victims, and investigators.  This commodification thus serves to protect the status quo, in the form of a consensus reality, from challenges by unknown or anomolous phenomena."


"In this paper I argue that the abduction phenomenon, regardless of its verisimilitude or psychological causes, has changed status, moving from a position as marginalized subject matter -- where it could be perceived as a threat to consensus reality to a popularized commodity.  This commodification negatively impacts ufology's struggle for legitimacy by undermining the recognition and acknowledgment of any importance, psychological or otherwise, that alien abduction phenomena might hold"

I wouldn't ignore the fact that to tell a more accurate story requires a real depth of knowledge of the subject matter. It's too easy to say they just do it for money. After-all, if a more realistic story would make them more money, wouldn't they opt for that? 

Seems to me, there are lots of angles to the UFO phenomenon that are left out because:
1- it is not a part of the pop culture story-line
2- it requires real work to gather the threads together, and understand it all, in order to tell a more complete story in 100 minutes 
3- makes it far more complicated and nuanced story,, and most viewers of these movies are looking for cheap thrill, not mind expansion.

In one of RAWilson's books he talks about how the most common close encounters of the third kind involve the creature giving gifts of food - which connects nicely with reports of fairy meetings - but these stories are seldom made public.

Hmm. Never heard that.

I thought it was all about getting shiny metal objects placed where people don't want them...

I was going to put a smiley face,,, but I guess it's probably not funny for those who have a memory of such things. And a good friend of mine DOES (or actually did, rest his soul). He was a twin. Had a twin sister. They both had similar abduction experiences.

https://butterflylanguage.com/2016/09/22...-pancakes/

There's a lot of crazy stories out there begging to be believed... 

Me? I don't believe or disbelieve this sort of stuff. I just let it go.